Direction signal for motor vehicles



Aug- 18, 1931. A. H. GERBER ET AL 1,819,087

DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLS Filed Nov. 5. 1928 Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED ALBERT H. GERBER Aun JOSEPH i. MARCHAL, orfsfr. rAuIi,MiN1vEsoTA Drancirrolv srcrivst FOR Moron `vuknc'mn-sr Application ined November 5,21928. seri'aluq. simio.

This invention` relates :to` adirection sig-- nal particularly adaptedzorfuse on motor vehicle. simple, eiicient and .easily'operated direc- Vs tion signal embodyingvcertainf useful` fea-y tures in construction and operation as Ihereinafter fully set forth" and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich,-

v'F ig. 1 is a. rear view of ourv device in 1,0 operative position in the front left-corner post of an automobile body looking forward as from the drivers seat, some parts of said post and the signal arm being shown in section. 1 Y Fig. 2 is an enlarged partly sectional view looking downas at line 2.-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isv an enlarged rear view of a signal arm manipulating 4devicemounted on a fixed part of the car'torwardV o'fthedriv-- er, one plate *of the device being-mainly broken out to reveal certain mechanisms.

-Fig. 4t is a vertical cross sectional view about as on line 4-4Win Fig. 3 showing additionally afinger operated turn button.

of the main housing of our device as on line 5 5 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on a horizontal plane through the corner post of a car and the adjacent instrument board, showing a modified form of signal arm manipulater.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional elevation of a wooden corner post of an auto andk the 'l shell or casing of our device applied thereto. Referring to the drawings by reerence numerals 10 designates the left front corner post of an automobile body of metal construction said post being tubular and of quadrangular shape in cross section, while y10A in Fig. 7 designates a wood post such as used in automobile bodies made of wood.

11 is the usual windshield frame and' of the drivers seat and accessible for reach by the driver.

l Our device comprises an elongated upright The main object is to vprovide a Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view main' frame or n' shell 13y 'of metal and U- shape cross section and having preferablyy the upperV and lower endwalls 13A" and 13B respectively,'said.shell adapted to be insert-V ed' into'-`a'11netal .post 10 by providing a corresponding outwardl`y opening aperture 14 in said post sor that said shellinay be' inserted with its Vouter edge comingnormallyl Hush with the exterior of the post (see Fig. 2) the shell being suitably fixed as with screws 15, rivets or'welding. Our signal arm is a hollow metal arm 16 with suitable forwardly and rearwardly'exposed openings. with .suitablev transparent material or transly lucent material 17 of any color comprising windows lixed onein each of said Vface open-v ings `of thefarm. The' armvis pivoted as on screws y18,1 ori erpuivalent,` in the kupper part ofshell V13, to swingupjwardly from a hang# ingposition within'the shell to ahorizontal position. -The hub of thefarnndesignated ltd-1,' is preferably of insulation material. Between vrthe'windows 17 anelectric bulb 19' is mounted inthearmiand has suitable wire connection '20 to an iniv`arclly-=exposecl fixed contact `21finithe hub.' 22 is aflat f spring metal arm arranged vertically in shell 13 and ixedl with .its lower `end to the' innerk wall of said shell, its `upper part normallyl pressingV routwardly and having a contact plate T23 continually pressing. outwardly and contacting with the hub when the arnrisl down and.` against the contact 21 to close circuit'fto light 19 when the arm is raised'. Current is provided from a source V24 through awirel 25 connected to plate-23f Our signal arm is made in such size'as t0 normally occupy most of the space withinY shell 13 when it depends from pivots 18 and has an outer plain wallwhich' at such time presents aslncoth outer'iace' lush with the exterior'of-post 10. The' arm is swungup by means of a wire 2G, or equivalent`fixedY` at 27 to hub 13H and extending downward]- ly',xun`der pulley 28 if necessary, and thence'` to 'anactuating mechanism' on the instrument' board which 'will presently be def scribed. To avoid any too'suddenaction of l arm 16 when signalling we provide a rten-vv sion vcoil spring 29 in the upright part of the wire 26 (slee Fig. 1). 30, Figs. 1 and 2,

Y is a two armed coil spring preferably coiled about one of the pivots 18 and its arms engaging one on the signal arm and the other within casing 13 to normally hold the signal arm in its closed position. 31 is another flat spring` in the lower partof housing 13 and fixed nearY the outer edge of oneA wallthere` of, its inner free end normally sprung inwardly to be frictionally and yieldingly engaged by the side of the signal varm when the latter is in suspended Vposition within the shell, thus to prevent any rattling;

It is now clear that when a downward pull is exerted on wire 26 the signal arm is swung up and out to horizontal in aV vertical plane atright angles to the directionof movement of the vehicle, and when Contact 21 is engaged by spring arm 22 circuit is closed to bulb 19 illuminating the signal arm onlywhen it is in Vits horizontalV signal position. Releasing the pull on wire 26 the signal arm instantly goes back to positi'on within the shell 13 being iinpelled additionallyby action of spring 31.. 7e will now describe the preferred. means for pulling- Vthe cord or wire 26.

In Figs. 3 and 4, 32is a segmented pulley fixedI on a: horizontal shaft 33 pivotally mountedy and slidable in and between two plates 34-34Aof which 34 is fixed as at 35 to-A the instrument. board 1'2 and' forwardof thev; driversf seat (not shown). and plate' 34A ismounted in fixed. spaced relation to plate 34. 32P is a fixed outwardly directed pin onpulley 32 and normallyy bearing against the inner side of plate 34A except when the pulley is oscillated to aA position where said pin is pushed intoan aperture 36V in said plate by a compression coiled spring about shaft 33 exteriorly of the plate 34A and between.- it and a suitable wing nut 37 (see Figs. 1l and 4). The pulley 32 has its groove normallyl below its pivot andthe end ofwire section26H is suitably fixed as at 38y in the said pulley so that when said pulley is oscillated asin direction of arrow 39- -ofqcourse connected to the wire section 26H.

rEhe pullbuttonf 40 may be providedy in various shapes or designs to correspond to the so-called choke-button 42 usually provided on the instrument board 12 of a car.

These means are provided for car owners:

who prefer a signal operating plug corresponding in appearance to a choke-button or other part on the instrument board.

In Fig. 7 we have illustrated our housing 13 fixed in a groove in the outer face of a wooden car post 10A, showing that this device is applicable-to sueh'posts-alsol though morev exposed than the type illustrated in the other iigures. An advantage in the mounting of our device is practically invisible when notin use and isl notobstructive to be clogged orV made ineffective by the elements. 'V

We claim; A

In a direction signal of the class described havinganup'right metal housing of Ushape in cross sectionandadapted to 'be fixed ina post of a motor'vehicle with its openl side in a plane with the outer face of. saidv post;v

a signal arm pivotally suspended from the upper part of said housing and, adapted to be manipulated to horizontalv signaling posi tion, said pivotal part of the arm comprising a hub with an inwardly exposed arcuate face, spring means fixed tothe inner' wally of theA housing and bearing .yieldably and outwardly against said arcuate face, said signaly arm beingv of hollow construction and quadrangular in cross section, and further means engagingV the signal arm only when' it is in loweredV position, said latter' means comprising; al flat spring fixed in awallv of the housing near'its outer edge andv extend-VV ing inwardly in an angular plane and in' the path of the signal arm to frictionally and yieldably engage it near its free end.

In testimony whereof ywe' aflix our signatures. Y

ALBERT H. GERBER. JOSEPH Pl MARCHAL. 

